


I Will Follow You

by coeurvolant



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27313036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coeurvolant/pseuds/coeurvolant
Summary: They met in spring, a time when cherry blossoms littered the sky and ground, mothers tugging their children by the hand to lead them to destinations they did not comprehend at the time.Tomoe was staring at the tall, taiko drummers in front of the shrine, feeling a chill run down her spine with each holler and beat that seemed to shake the very ground she stood upon.
Relationships: Seta Kaoru/Udagawa Tomoe
Kudos: 12





	1. Spring

They met in spring, a time when cherry blossoms littered the sky and ground, mothers tugging their children by the hand to lead them to destinations they did not comprehend at the time. 

  
Tomoe was staring at the tall, taiko drummers in front of the shrine, feeling a chill run down her spine with each holler and beat that seemed to shake the very ground she stood upon. 

  
The thought brought the redhead’s attention down to her feet, the awe on her face quickly replaced by a solemnness once she realized with a start that she was suddenly very much unaccompanied. 

  
She looked around in a wide-eyed panic, feeling the corners of her eyes prickle with the onset of tears -however, before she could burst out into sobs, she spotted a flash of violet hair. 

  
Tomoe wiped at her face with a sleeve, eagerly running over to the girl, “Ako!” She cried happily when she finally came into view, placing a hand on the small shoulder. 

  
The girl whipped around, crimson eyes filled with tears of fright as she did so, “Who...who’re you?” She asked nervously, eyes searching the newcomer frantically.

  
Tomoe bit her lip as she felt her heart sink. Despite having the same hair and eye color, this girl was very much _not_ Ako -although they were incredibly similar in height. “Are you lost?” She asked the child more gently, who had begun weeping again. 

  
The girl nodded, wincing as another particular loud drumroll started, “The taiko sounds are scary,” she wailed amidst a mouthful of hiccups. 

  
Tomoe pouted, “They’re not scary, they’re _cool_.” She insisted, forgetting her own concerns for the moment. She paused for a second before holding out her hand, “You can hold my hand if you’re scared. My little sis gets lost a lot too, but I always protect her.” She said confidently, puffing out her chest. 

  
The other girl looked worried, although she accepted the offer, holding tightly onto Tomoe’s fingers, “W-where’s your sister then?” She asked. 

  
“I was the one who got lost this time...” Tomoe admitted, adjusting her grip so that the two held hands more comfortably, “I’m Tomoe. What’s your name?” 

  
“K-Kaoru.” The other girl said meekly, ducking her head as another drumroll pierced the air of the shrine.

  
“Well, Kaoru. Do you see those symbols on the drums? That’s a tomoe.“ Tomoe said proudly, tugging the other girl along, “So you shouldn’t be scared of them. Cause I’m not scary. Right?” She asked her newly found companion, flashing her a toothy grin.  
  


“...I guess.” Kaoru said, although she appeared doubtful.   
  


“Hmm...if I find your parents for you, will you believe me then?” Tomoe asked, giggling when Kaoru nodded her head vigorously. “Okay then. I’ll help you find them. I promise.”

  
The two continued weaving through the thick crowd with each other, their hands connected tightly together even as their palms grew slick ( _and Tomoe’s nose got so itchy she almost let go to scratch it_ ). 

  
“Hey Kaoru. When I grow up, I’m gonna play the taiko drums.” Tomoe declared conversationally. “Right here. I’m gonna be the best drummer anyone’s ever seen!” She exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she pretended to use her free hand to beat loudly at an invisible instrument. 

  
“Okay.” Kaoru responded happily at that, their solidarity in being lost together having made her more trusting, "I've always wanted to learn to play the guitar. I think it's pretty cool." She said shyly, tucking her hair behind an ear, "...Maybe the taiko drums will sound better if you're the one up there."   
  


"Of course," Tomoe said proudly, her eyes searching around the crowded plaza as she spotted a group of people around a uniformed adult, "So come see me then, okay?"  
  


"It's a promise," Kaoru said seriously, squeezing the other girl's hands almost in reassurance. Her mouth dropped open as the redhead led the two closer to the officer, her free hand pointing at a woman speaking frantically beside them. “That’s my mom!” She exclaimed, newly formed tears making its way down her face once more. “Mommy!” 

  
The woman whipped around, letting out a loud gasp before sweeping the girl off her feet as she hugged her tightly, “Kaoru, I was so worried!” She exclaimed, “I told you to stay close! You wandered off so quickly!” 

  
“I tripped and got lost,” Kaoru responded, “But big sis Tomoe helped me!” She said, waving to the said girl, “Thank you, big sis.” 

  
Tomoe smiled, waving back, “Remember to come see me here when I grow up!” She said, only lowering her hand once the reunited family was out of sight.

  
Now that she was alone again, she could feel the tears begin to stubbornly make their way back as she realized she was once more alone. The silence was naught for long, however, as a shrill voice cut through the air.

  
“ _Big sis_!” Tomoe turned around just as a frill-clad girl came barreling into her small body as two arms clung tightly to her midsection, sobbing loudly. “Big sis I thought we lost you _forever_!” Ako sobbed, their parents appearing behind her shortly afterwards. 

  
“Tomoe, _there_ you are.” Tomoe let out a loud sniff as she patted Ako’s head, looking up pitifully at her father.

  
“You did _so_ well, you found the officer all by yourself!” Her mother said as she hustled over, running her hands through unruly hair that had become undone at some point. “Don’t run off on your own again though, alright? You had us all worried sick. Especially Ako.” She chided her, although her face quickly relaxed into a smile as Tomoe began to tear up. “Alright now, it's time to head home. But we'll get some ice cream on the way back, okay?”   
  


Tomoe nodded happily, accepting Ako's outstretched hand as she held onto it tightly -she turned around just once before her family departed the shrine grounds, teal eyes searching blindly into the sea of people for the little girl she had only just met. Her eyes furrowed as she stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck to peek through the gaps between the several adults surrounding them. She only stopped with a hint of reluctance as her father lectured her for being so antsy, informing her that _that_ must have how she had gotten lost in the first place.  
  


Tomoe finally turned away at that point with a pout, hoping that she would meet Kaoru again someday. 


	2. Summer

Tomoe fidgeted next to her family as she tried to stay still in front of the shrine, Ako’s sticky palms gripped tightly within her own. She was thankful for her short hair in that moment, appreciating the brief breeze that cut through the crowd of people as they waited for the procession to begin. 

  
It was summer break, and to say it was hot would be a _wild_ understatement.   
  


Tomoe found her eyes wandering around as she looked somewhere -anywhere for something interesting that would occur, to take her mind off the sweltering heat. She was so exhausted from the weather and all the waiting around that her legs were starting to ache; she supposed things would be more interesting when she was actually permitted to play on the taiko drums. 

  
She _had_ been assured it wouldn’t be long by the adults she practiced with on a near daily basis, after all. 

  
Teal eyes met surprised crimson ones as Tomoe’s wandering gaze settled on a similarly aged student amongst the crowd. She sported a violet bob just longer than her own, and gave Tomoe a hesitant smile accompanied by a small wave. A part of Tomoe thought she looked familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. 

  
She finally broke eye contact to look away and back down at Ako, finding it a bit curious that the two resembled each other in their hair and eye color. Maybe that was it?

  
_Thank you, big sis._

  
Tomoe’s head snapped back up as she finally remembered why the girl looked so familiar -but she was nowhere to be found anymore. She bit her cheek in frustration, turning away from her family to search further; was it really _Kaoru_ that she saw? 

  
She'd admit it; although their encounter was only for that one day, she held onto a small sliver of hope that she'd meet the girl again -and possibly impress her on the drums as well. Maybe it was because it had been such an innocent promise and they were so young and impressionable, but it was a primary motivating factor for Tomoe wanting to improve her skill.

  
But after the first few years of scouring crowds during such festivals to no avail, she had all but given up on the thought of reuniting with Kaoru, to the point where actually seeing her seemed more like a hallucination than anything else.

  
And now that she was in middle school, she felt a bit silly about the whole ordeal. 

  
“Big sis?” Tomoe snapped out of her thoughts as the small hand in her own squeezed, Ako looking up worriedly at her, “Are you going somewhere?” She asked, eyes large and concerned.

  
Tomoe mustered up a smile as she sighed inwardly, realizing how far she had taken the two from their parents, “Sorry, Ako. And no, I’m staying right here.” 

  
The younger girl pouted, "You _know_ , if you wanna go somewhere, you should just do it! It's not like I'm worried you'll get lost again." She huffed, her lower lip trembling in defiance.

  
Tomoe paused for a moment, her eyes searching the crowds once more as she placed a hand on top of Ako's head to ease her. Maybe this _was_ her chance to reconnect.

  
"You know what, I think I will then. Thanks Ako -I'll be right back. Promise." She said with a grin, waving to her parents before she headed off in the direction she last saw the girl, her younger sister letting go of her hand rather reluctantly despite her earlier urges.

  
For whatever reason, Tomoe could feel her heart beat faster as she continued her search, wondering what she would even _say_ to Kaoru. They didn't know much about each other at all, and so much time had passed in between. 

  
Yet she couldn't help the blush that spread across her face happily as she happened upon a thought -could Kaoru also have been searching for her all this time?

* * *

  
_Why did I run away?_

  
Nothing else was on Kaoru's mind as she ducked through the crowd, face bright crimson as she ran to her parents and promptly hid behind them.

  
She was sure, _absolutely_ _sure_ that it was Tomoe she saw just now -although the hair was different (so much shorter) and her face was sharper, the girl had grown to be impossibly pretty.

  
So why did she run away? 

  
As much as Kaoru ached to speak with her, to see if she remembered her, she couldn't find the strength in herself to do it.

  
After all, they had only met once all those years ago -she was probably the only one still holding onto such thoughts. It's not like she even made a positive impression or anything, as all Kaoru recalled doing that day was crying like a baby while Tomoe pampered her. 

  
And it wasn't like she thought about that time a lot, wondered how her "big sis Tomoe" was doing after all these years...

  
"Kaoru?" The violet-haired girl turned around with a start as a small hand tugged at her arm, "Are you alright?"

  
Kaoru nodded, "Y-yeah, I thought I just saw someone I knew." She mumbled, straightening herself back up. As she did so, she spotted that familiar flash of red hair, the girl from earlier - _Tomoe_ -walking purposefully through the crowd, looking this way and that with a determined look in her expression.

  
"U-um, Chisato, let's walk this way," Kaoru quickly cried, pressing a hand against her chest in hopes of quelling the pounding that ran right up into her ears.

  
"What? But we just came from there -Kaoru, stop pushing me!" Chisato exclaimed, "Goodness, what's gotten into you -,"

  
"I'll tell you later!" Kaoru whispered fiercely, pushing Chisato away, _far away_ before Tomoe could spot her again. 

  
"Kaoru, I swear -," Chisato stopped as saw the look in her friend's eye, her face softening into one of understanding as she relented and rubbed the younger girl's back, "Alright, tell me about it later then." She said, clasping Kaoru's hand firmly in her own as she led her further into the crowd, towards her own parents.

  
Kaoru nodded mutely, a part of her grateful for Chisato's patience, but the other part of her absolutely _loathing_ herself for being such a coward. 

  
She could feel a pain spread inside her as she bit the inside of her cheek, fully knowing that she probably missed her lifetime's only opportunity. She had looked for Tomoe year after year since the first time they had met, wondering if she'd ever find the girl on stage one day. It was only a matter of time, since Tomoe really didn't seem like one to break promises.

  
Kaoru turned back again, her eyes widening as she once again met with those, bright teal ones that were now marred with a hurt confusion, before she ducked away once more. 

  
Maybe she was just scared to be disappointed after all this time.

* * *

  
Tomoe stopped in her steps, tilting her head to the side as she once more spotted the violet-haired girl, who at this point seemed to be actively _avoiding_ her. She couldn't help but frown as she felt a slight pang of hurt inside -and find that she might even be a little offended at the gesture.

  
Had she made such a bad impression the last time they had met? 

  
The girl seemed just as meek as ever, although she now was only perhaps an inch or two shorter than Tomoe; regardless, she knew it _had_ to be Kaoru. 

  
She was certain of it. 

  
But as persistent as Tomoe was, she decidedly stopped in her steps once she saw a light haired girl tug Kaoru away by the hand, smiling somewhat fondly down at her as she pointed to something in the distance. 

  
Tomoe supposed she was the only one still hanging onto childhood sentiments, her eyebrows furrowing just slightly as Kaoru turned back once more, eyes wide as she met her own.

  
There was some familiarity as she stood there, watching the other girl's descending back into the crowd; she supposed it was time for her to move on, after all these years.

  
Only this time, she would truly allow herself to forget about Kaoru. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh I'm not sure if Tomoe and Kaoru went to the same middle school (judging by their uniforms i'm assuming they did alsdfjls BUT IN THIS AU THEY DON'T LOL)
> 
> also idk when kaoru develops her "princely" persona since i've only pulled...one 4* kaoru in my lifetime and i play bandori on en and have two accounts on jp that i use regularly so i can't researchhh....but i'm pretending she develops it right before she hops into high school lol

**Author's Note:**

> something I wrote on my phone ! it ended up being too long so I split it up into a few chapters // I have it all written but I have to reformat everything so that's why I'm not uploading everything at once orz
> 
> as usual, fic title this time is a song is by RIVVRS !


End file.
